Forest dynamics in Hawaii

Author:

Mueller-Dombois, Dieter

Title:

Forest dynamics in Hawaii

Periodical:

Tree

Year:

1987

Volume:

2

Pages:

216-220

Subject:

Canopy dieback Forest ecology

Summary:

The land surfaces of the Hawaiian Islands represent an age sequence from very recent on the island of Hawaii to over 5 million years old on the island of Kauai throughout which the development of indigenous forest on the new basaltic lava flows of Hawaii begins with Metrosideros polymorpha forming mono-dominant canopy stands within 400 years in lowland rain forest environments. As a result, an understanding of forest dynamics is complicated based on the fact that trees generally live longer than humans. Therefore, conclusions must be drawn based on inferences from patterns that occur side-by-side in space. Likewise, other conclusions must be drawn based on patterns that occur at different scales in space and time. Since forest dynamics is a broad subject, this is a brief overview as it relates to forest distribution, volcanic succession, canopy dieback, and evolutionary implications of trees such as the Metrosideros polymorpha, the Acacia koa, and the Sophora chrysophylla.

Label:

Ecology - Rain Forests

Collection:

Periodicals